New Ballistic Panels Make Ford Interceptors Resistant to Armor-Piercing Rounds

The new Ford Interceptor Utility stands up to armor-piercing rounds with optional ballistic panels

Ford has been working hard to make its Interceptor vehicles tops in LEO sales (and, to that end, succeeding quite well), and its latest announcement should only help serve the purpose of making it number one with a (deflected) bullet.

The automaker announced this month that both its Police Interceptor sedan and utility vehicles will be offered with ballistic panels that will protect officers from armor-piercing rounds. That makes the Taurus- and Explorer-based vehicles the first pursuit-rated police vehicles in the country to be offered with ballistic protection up to the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice standard Type IV.

According to the DoJ, a Type IV ballistic panel is ostensibly able to protect against .30 caliber armor piercing bullets. While Ford acknowledges that the frequency of shoot-outs involving armor-piercing rounds is low, it is nonetheless a comfort to pretty much anyone who has ever seen the movie Heat.

Video: Police Interceptor Ballistic Panels Put to the Test

“The fact that we design our Police Interceptors around officer feedback is what has made them number one. Officers globally told us they needed protection from armor piercing ammunition and we added increased ballistic protection to an already great product—that’s continuous innovation,” said Arie Groeneveld, chief engineer, Ford Police Interceptors.

Late last year, both the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and Michigan State Police confirmed the superiority of the Interceptor to its competitors in its annual performance tests. The Interceptor Sedan and Utility topped its LEO rivals in 0-60 mph time, lap time, and lap speed, making them ideal for pursuit purposes.

“Ford is well-known in the police community for going further to enhance officer safety. It’s what our product is all about, first and foremost,” said Raj Sarkar, general marketing manager, Ford North American Fleet, Lease and Remarketing operations.